The origin and homelands of the rodent, behavior in the wild, breeding of gerbils, advice on keeping, diseases, the right purchase of the animal and its price. For many people, pets are not just animals that live with them under the same roof, but full members of their families. Sometimes a person with great responsibility approaches the issue of choosing his smaller friend. If not so long ago, when choosing a pet, people could focus only on those representatives of the world fauna that are not difficult to buy, then in the era of our modernity everything is much more complicated. These difficulties do not lie in the fact that there is no way to find or acquire this or that animal, the problem most often lies in the choice.
For the reason that today you can afford to bring the most extraordinary pupil to your house, it all depends on you, your tastes, preferences, and of course your financial situation. After all, not everyone can afford to buy a chimpanzee or a white tiger, firstly, they are very expensive, and secondly, you need to have a huge enough living space for these elite pets to feel cozy and comfortable. But here is a small original rodent that will not be like all its relatives - almost anyone can easily afford it.
Pay, for example, your attention to such a miracle of nature as the gerbil - this is a small animal that will easily become a reliable friend and companion for you. In addition, these animals are very modest and unpretentious, they will never require a large and spacious cage for themselves, they will not run away from you at the first opportunity to the most secluded corners of your apartment, and most importantly, these pretty rodents are very clean. Why not an ideal pet?
If you still opted for a gerbil, then in order to avoid unnecessary problems and unpleasant situations, you should get to know this animal better.
Origin and home areas of the gerbil
The gerbil is an animal that outwardly bears some resemblance to the jerboa and the common mouse. Scientists who have studied the pedigree of this cute representative of the fauna have classified it into the class mammals, the order of rodents, the family of hamsters, the subfamily of the gerbil and the genus of the fat-tailed gerbil.
If we talk about the native lands of this animal, then we can say that the area of its natural distribution is quite wide. This specimen of a large animal kingdom lives in Europe and Asia, and even occurs on the African continent. Based on the name of this rodent, we can already conclude that it lives where there is sand, namely in desert and semi-desert regions, but if they get to locations with clay or gravelly soil, then this craftsman is able to settle down well there, the main thing to have something to eat.
Features of the gerbil living in open nature
The period of activity for these animals falls at night, while during the day they prefer to sleep off, carefully hiding in their personal dwellings. These little hard workers spend almost all their free time building their own house, it would be more correct to say houses. Typically, gerbils dig out intricate burrows, which are constantly improved and repaired, and sometimes even passed on to the next generation. They necessarily have several temporary apartments, which are located in different locations, they are usually not deep, do not have a nesting chamber and are equipped with only one exit, the animals almost never spend a lot of time in them. Most often, they need such temporary housing so that the animals can feel calm when they go out in search of food. Indeed, when any danger approaches, gerbils always run away to the nearest burrow and can sit there until they make sure that they have nothing to fear.
Rodents' permanent dwelling is, like family mansions, they have a rather complex layout. In a permanent hole, there must necessarily be many passages that connect their house to the surface of the earth, there are always several branches, one of them is used by the animal as a restroom, and all the rest, as utility rooms in which food is stored, they store it on winter. A place for winter recreation is usually located at the deepest depth, where even the most fierce cold cannot reach; gerbils pull a lot of dry grass and foliage there, from which I construct a soft and warm sleeping place for myself.
These little builders are very social and friendly animals; they are used to living in large colonies in their native habitats, in which peace and harmony always reign.
Nature has not endowed these peace-loving rodents with a large, stocky and strong body, sharp claws or huge fangs, therefore, their means of protection from all kinds of predators that intend to feed themselves with miniature animals are their excellent hearing and vision, as well as their fast legs, which carry away gerbils from the approaching danger to a safe place.
In the wild, they are also not very whimsical and are used to making do with everything that is nearby. So rodents can easily live if there is no reservoir near their place of residence, these mammals have enough liquid that they receive when eating succulent plants. As for their diet, these hamsters usually eat plant foods that grow in their territories, these are leaves, flowers, plant shoots and even berries and rhizomes. In the event that there is a shortage of food products in the area they occupy, then the entire large friendly family of gerbils begins to "pack their bags" and move to more fertile lands. Having found such places, they quickly begin to equip themselves with the necessary conditions for life, build new burrows, or make major repairs in dwellings dug by other animals.
Continuation of the mammalian genus
The beginning of the mating season for these animals falls at the beginning of spring, then they form small groups that include one male and several female gerbils, as well as their offspring. Such separate colonies occupy a small area and diligently protect their territory from their other relatives, if suddenly someone else decided to join such a family, then these seemingly very cute animals can resort to aggression and even use force, but such battles are very rare end in bloodshed.
The period of bearing babies in females lasts about a month, at the end of this period from 3 to 7 cubs are born. The boys grow up quite rapidly, at the age of 2–3 months such “babies” already become sexually mature. After the end of the reproductive season, all representatives of the gerbils genus again unite into one large social group and together raise and take care of their offspring, regardless of who their biological parents are.
During one year, an adult and healthy female can obtain offspring from 4 to 7 times.
Gerbil appearance traits
The parameters of the body of this rodent are different, the length of the body of some individuals can reach up to 20 cm, and some specimens do not grow more than 5–6 cm. The caudal process is most often equal to the length of the animal's body. The body weight of these mammals ranges from 50 to 200 grams.
In appearance, these animals are very similar to ordinary mice, the most characteristic feature of their appearance is their tail, which is wrapped in fur along its entire length and ends in a beautiful tassel formed by a thick tuft of long hair.
Their muzzles are usually slightly dull. The hind legs are much longer than the front legs, which helps gerbils to move very quickly. The color of these animals does not always correspond to their name, mammals that live in the wild are usually painted in sandy-brownish shades or in a monochromatic brown color, only the abdominal area is noticeably lighter. Due to the fact that now more and more often these rodents are given as pets, people have learned to make good money on them. Namely, they began to artificially breed animals with a wide variety of body colors, so if you don't like sandy tones, then you can easily pick up a pet for yourself in the color that you like best.
Keeping a gerbil, home care
Gerbils are, I'm not afraid of this word, the most ideal pets of all rodents, they are happy to make contact with humans, very playful. It will not be difficult to tame this comrade, he will not be afraid of you anyway and will play and walk into your arms, and if you treat him with some yummy food several times, then the adaptation process will be much faster and more pleasant for your pet.
The only thing that sometimes scares people when buying such an exotic is its night activity, but you should not worry about this. The gerbil is an animal that can be easily accustomed to your daily routine, the first time you live with this friend under the same roof, you will notice that he never sleeps all day, most likely he rests from time to time, he also does at night - he will play a little and runs and leaves to recuperate. But if you want him to sleep all night, then you should put his house in some kind of dark room, where, most likely, he will sleep all night.
Of course, you can purchase a cage as a personal home for such a pet, but due to the fact that this rodent is used to sharpening its teeth, the rods of the cage will be destroyed very quickly. For this reason, it is best to place your tenant in a spacious aquarium with a tight-fitting lid, but good ventilation. The cover is needed so that this bouncy girl does not just jump over the side of her house and run away for a walk around your apartment. Unlike hamsters, these animals will not climb into the most unexpected places, where they are not only impossible to find, but also difficult to get out of there.
But the fact that they can do different pranks is another matter. They can easily chew on furniture, wallpaper and even wires.
You can use sawdust, hay, rodent litter, and even regular napkins or paper as flooring for your new friend's home. There is no need to change it very often, since these animals secrete very little liquid, so cleaning in an aquarium with a gerbil should be done as the filler gets wet, since they do not tolerate a humid environment very badly.
The thickness of the filler layer in the rodent's personal dwelling must be at least 10-15 cm so that this worker can dig even a small hole for himself.
You can think of a place to sleep for your pupil on your own, but it would be better to bring him some hay, dry leaves, napkins or plain toilet paper and he will do everything with his “crazy” paws and to his liking.
In order for your pet's living conditions to be comfortable for him, you need to equip his house with a variety of entertainments, such as a running wheel, walking balls and other interesting things for rodents. This will not only keep your gerbil from getting bored when you are not around, but will also keep her little body in constant shape.
In addition, always bring her some twigs or snags as a gift, since gnawing something is at her instinct level and if the animal does not have suitable attributes, it will begin to sharpen its teeth on everything that is in its house.
This funny rodent must have a private pool, but only it needs to be filled not with water, but with sand, there your friend will relax, take his sandy baths and clean his beautiful fur coat.
Even if your pet has the most comfortable living conditions in a cage or aquarium, it doesn't mean that it has to be there all the time. When you get home, try to let this active companion go for a walk. During these trips around your home, keep a close eye on your gerbil to ensure that it doesn’t do anything. If this cunning guy climbed under the sofa or hid behind the closet, you shouldn't panic, she will jump out to you at the first call, and if the rodent does not respond, beckon him with some delicacy, then he certainly will not resist.
And of course, if a cat lives in your house, make sure that your exotic hamster does not become a delicious lunch for her. Feeding your gerbil at home is not difficult at all. It is impossible to pinpoint any favorite dish of this mammal, at home it is usually fed with sprouted grain, green grass, plant shoots, sometimes they can afford to eat a few sunflower seeds. In addition, they enjoy eating bread, legumes, a variety of berries, carrots, apples, beets and even cabbage.
From time to time, you can pamper your furry friend with delicacies such as small insects such as locusts or mealworms. They eat cottage cheese with pleasure. Sometimes good owners treat gerbils with food from their dining table, they certainly will not give up sausage or some other similar delicacy, but this is still not recommended, since eating such unusual food for them can negatively affect your health. pet.
Do not forget about the vitamins and minerals that you need to feed your friend, his body will thank you very much for the additional calcium, which is contained, for example, in eggshells or in a piece of chalk.
Common diseases of gerbils
Like all living creatures, these mammals are susceptible to a number of pathological conditions.
- Tizzer's disease (cryptosporidium). This disease in these cute rodents is manifested by liver necrosis, enteritis, the first sign of the disease is that the animal grows in size due to the accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity. The onset of this pathology is acute and usually ends in the death of the animal. Young individuals and pregnant females are especially susceptible to cryptosporidium. The onset of the disease is associated with eating contaminated feed. The best prevention is regular cell cleansing, feeding the rodent with proven foods.
- Epilepsy. A fairly common pathology among these animals, most often it is hereditary. It manifests itself in periodic attacks of seizures. Treatment and use of anticonvulsants is not required.
- Injuries. Very often, gerbils injure their limbs or rip off their tail, so careful care and proper housing for your friend will be the best prevention of such conditions.
Buying and price of a gerbil
If you purchase a rodent from breeders, do not hesitate to demand from them to provide you with all the documents, since an animal brought from the wild and not examined by a doctor can be deadly for you and your family, since these animals are carriers of plague and tularemia. The average price for one individual of this animal ranges from 1,500 to 2,500 rubles.
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